TRAINING & REFERENCE

murachs

MySQL
2nd Edition

(Chapter 2)
Thanks for downloading this chapter from Murachs MySQL (2nd Edition). We hope
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presentation, its how-to headings, its practical coding examples, and its clear, concise
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What developers said about the previous edition

If you ever wanted to learn to use MySQL, write SQL queries, create database
elements, then this is the book to pick up. Rating: 10 Horseshoes.
Review by Mohamed Sanaulla, JavaRanch.com

A great first book into SQL: From all the SQL books I looked over, this has by
far the best division of chapters and the best order for learning.
Posted at an online bookseller

As a developer with almost ten years MySQL experience, I still picked up a lot
of new detail on things I thought I knew. Every development shop that works
with MySQL should have a copy of this book.
David Bolton, C/C++/C# Guide, About.com

Ive found that many technical books go into laborious details that make them
difficult to read, let alone use, but Murachs MySQL has already proven to be
helpful in solving several challenges Ive encountered on my current MySQL
project.
Posted at an online bookseller

Because of this book, I know that I could easily transition my skills in

developing, managing, and designing an Oracle database application to a
MySQL database system.
Eric Mortensen, Northeast Ohio Oracle Users Group

I was amazed at how much information was packed into this book. The style
made it really easy to read and understand the information.... I learned a lot
of new MySQL ideas reading this book, and I will be using it frequently as a
reference.
Paul Turpin, Southeastern Inter-Relational Database Users Group

2
How to use
MySQL Workbench
and other development tools
In the last chapter, you learned about some of the SQL statements that you can
use to work with the data in a relational database. Before you learn the details
of coding these statements, however, you need to learn how to use MySQL
Workbench to enter and execute SQL statements. In addition, you should learn
how to use the MySQL Reference manual, and you should at least be familiar
with the MySQL Command Line Client.

An introduction to MySQL Workbench...............................42

The Home tab of MySQL Workbench............................................................42
How to open a database connection.............................................................. 44
How to start and stop the database server..................................................... 46
How to navigate through the database objects...............................................48
How to view and edit the data for a table.......................................................50
How to view and edit the column definitions for a table................................52

How to use MySQL Workbench

to run SQL statements..........................................................54
How to enter and execute a SQL statement....................................................54
How to use snippets........................................................................................56
How to handle syntax errors...........................................................................58
How to open and save SQL scripts................................................................ 60
How to enter and execute SQL scripts...........................................................62

How to use the MySQL Reference Manual.........................64

How to view the manual................................................................................ 64
How to look up information.......................................................................... 64

How to use the MySQL Command Line Client...................66

How to start and stop the MySQL Command Line Client............................ 66
How to use the MySQL Command Line Client to work
with a database................................................................................................68

Perspective............................................................................70

42

Section 1

An introduction to MySQL

An introduction to MySQL Workbench

MySQL Workbench is a free graphical tool that makes it easy to work with
MySQL. We recommend using this tool as you work through this book. This
chapter shows how to work with version 6.2. However, with some minor variations, the skills presented in this chapter should work for later versions as well.

The Home tab of MySQL Workbench

When you start MySQL Workbench, it displays its Home tab as shown in
figure 2-1. This tab is divided into three sections: MySQL Connections, Models,
and Shortcuts.
The MySQL Connections section contains links that you can use to open a
connection to a MySQL server. Then, you can use that connection to code and
run SQL statements. By default, this tab contains one connection that allows
you to connect as the root user to a MySQL server thats running on the local
computer. In this book, this is the only connection you will need. However, if
necessary, you can click the + icon to the right of MySQL Connections to create
other connections.
The Models section contains links that let you create a database diagram
from a type of data model known as an EER model. You can also use this section
to open existing EER models or to create new ones. Then, you can work with
EER diagrams that correspond with these models. To learn more about this, you
can read chapter 10.
The Shortcuts section contains links to additional MySQL tools. It also
contains links to some MySQL blogs, forums, and so on. This book doesnt
show how to use these links, but you may find them useful, especially after you
have learned the basic skills for working with MySQL that are described in this
book.
You can return to the Home tab by clicking on the tab with the house icon
on it near the top left corner of the Workbench window. In this figure, the Home
tab is the only tab thats shown, but youll see some other tabs in the next few
figures.

Chapter 2

How to use MySQL Workbench and other development tools

The Home tab of MySQL Workbench

Description
The Home tab of MySQL Workbench is divided into three main sections: MySQL
Connections, Models, and Shortcuts.
You can use the MySQL Connections section to start and stop the database server
and to code and run SQL statements.
You can use the Models section to design databases.
You can use the Shortcuts section to open some other MySQL tools including some
MySQL blogs and forums.
You can return to the Home tab by clicking the tab with the house icon. This tab is
always displayed in the top left corner of the Workbench window.

Figure 2-1

The Home tab of MySQL Workbench

43

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Section 1

An introduction to MySQL

How to open a database connection

Before you can work with a database, you need to connect to the database
server. When you start MySQL Workbench, the MySQL Connections section
displays a list of saved connections.
By default, MySQL Workbench has one saved connection in this list. This
connection is named Local instance MySQL56, and it connects as the root
user to a MySQL server thats running on port 3306 of the local host computer.
(This assumes that youre using MySQL version 5.6. If youre using another
version, the number at the end of the connection name will be different.)
Since this is what you want when youre first getting started, you typically
use this connection to connect to the server. To do that, click the connection and
enter the password for the root user if youre prompted for it. If you installed
MySQL Workbench following the directions in appendix A (Windows) or B
(Mac OS X), the password for the root user is sesame.
Figure 2-2 shows the dialog box that MySQL Workbench displays to prompt
for a password. This dialog box shows that its attempting to use the root user to
connect to a MySQL server running on port 3306 of the local host. In addition
to entering a password in this dialog box, you can select the Save password in
vault option to save the password so you dont have to enter it every time you
connect to this server. Then, if you ever want to clear the password from the
vault, you can right-click the connection, select the Edit Connection item, and
click the Clear button.
If you need to connect as another user, or if you need to connect to a
MySQL server running on a different computer, you can use MySQL Workbench
to edit the connection parameters for a connection. To do that, right-click the
connection and select the Edit Connections item. This displays a dialog box
that lets you specify the parameters for the connection such as the username,
hostname, and port number.
If you want to add a new connection to the Home tab, you can click the +
icon to the right of MySQL Connections, enter a name for the connection, and
specify the parameters for the connection. Then, this connection appears in the
list of connections, and you can click it to use it.

Chapter 2

How to use MySQL Workbench and other development tools

The dialog box for opening database connections

Description
To connect as the root user to an instance of MySQL thats running on the local
host computer, click the stored connection named Local instance MySQL56, and
enter the password for the root user if prompted.
To save the password for a connection so you dont have to enter it every time,
check the Save password in vault option when youre prompted for your
password.
To clear the password from the vault so you are prompted for your password,
right-click the connection, select the Edit Connection item, click the Clear button,
and click the Close button.
To edit the connection parameters for a connection, right-click the connection,
select the Edit Connection item, enter the connection parameters, and click the
Close button. This lets you specify the username, the host address, the port number,
and other connection parameters.
To add a new connection to the Home tab, click the + icon to the right of MySQL
Connections, enter the connection parameters, and click the OK button. Then, the
connection appears in the list of connections.

Figure 2-2

How to open a database connection

45

46

Section 1

An introduction to MySQL

How to start and stop the database server

If you installed MySQL on your computer as described in appendix A
(Windows) or B (Mac OS X), the database server starts automatically when
you start your computer. This piece of software is sometimes referred to as the
database service or database engine. It receives SQL statements that are passed
to it, processes them, and returns the results.
Before you can work with a MySQL database, the database server must
be started. To check whether the MySQL database server is running on your
computer, you can use the Startup/Shutdown option of MySQL Workbench as
shown in figure 2-3. Then, if the server isnt already running, you can start it
by clicking on the Start Server button. When you do that, MySQL Workbench
displays a message that indicates the status of the MySQL server, and it displays
the Stop Server button.
You may also want to stop the database server from time to time. For
example, you can stop the server if you arent going to be using it and you want
to free the resources on your computer. Or, you can stop the server if the port
that is being used by the MySQL database server conflicts with another program.
Then, when you want to work with the database server again, you can start it.
The easiest way to stop the database server is to use the Stop Server button
thats available from the Startup/Shutdown option of the Navigator window
of MySQL Workbench as described in this figure. When you click this button,
MySQL Workbench displays a message when the MySQL server has successfully stopped, and it displays the Start Server button.
When youre running the MySQL database server on your own computer
for training purposes, you can stop the database server whenever you want.
However, if a database server is running in a production environment, you
should make sure that all users are logged off and that no applications are using
the database server before you stop it.

Chapter 2

How to use MySQL Workbench and other development tools

The Startup/Shutdown option of MySQL Workbench

How to stop and start the database server

1. Display the Home tab of MySQL Workbench.
2. Click the connection to the local server. This should connect you to the local
MySQL server as the root user. If necessary, enter the password for the root user.
3. In the Navigator window, if necessary, click on the Management tab to display
the Management category. Then, select the Startup/Shutdown option from this
category.
4. Click the Stop Server button to stop the database server. Or, click the Start Server
button to start it.

Description
After you install the MySQL, the database server usually starts automatically each
time you start your computer.
The database server can also be referred to as the database service or the database
engine.
If you arent able to use Workbench to start and stop the database server, you may
need to edit your connection so it points to the correct instance of MySQL. To do
that, click the Home tab, right-click the connection, select the Edit Connection
item, click the System Profile tab, and edit the service name. For MySQL 5.6 on
Windows, the service name is typically MySQL56.

Figure 2-3

How to start and stop the database server

47

48

Section 1

An introduction to MySQL

How to navigate through the database objects

After you connect to a database server, you can use the Schemas category of
the Navigator window to navigate through the database objects in the databases
on the server, as shown in figure 2-4. As you can see, these objects include
tables, views, stored procedures, and functions. For this chapter, however, you
can focus on the tables. Later in this book, youll learn more about views, stored
procedures, and functions.
In this figure, I double-clicked the node for the AP database (schema) in the
Schemas tab of the Navigator window to select it and view the database objects
it contains (tables, views, stored procedures, and functions). Then, I expanded
the Tables node to view all of the tables in the AP database.
To work with a node or an object, you can right-click it to display a
context-sensitive menu. Then, you can select a command from that menu. For
example, you can right-click the node for the AP database to display a list of
commands for working with that database.

Chapter 2

How to use MySQL Workbench and other development tools

The tables available for the AP database

Description
Each database (or schema) provides access to the database objects that are
available. These database objects include tables, views, stored procedures, and
functions.
On some systems, the Navigator window provides Management and Schemas tabs
that you can use to display the Management and Schemas categories. On other
systems, the Navigator window displays the Management category above the
Schemas category.
To display the databases for the current connection, you can use the Navigator
window to view the Schemas category.
To navigate through the database objects for a database, click the arrows to the left
of each of the nodes in the Navigator window to expand or collapse the node.
To work with a node or an object, right-click the node or object and select a
command from the resulting menu.

Figure 2-4

How to navigate through the database objects

49

50

Section 1

An introduction to MySQL

How to view and edit the data for a table

To view the data for a table, you can right-click the table name and select the
Select Rows - Limit 1000 command. In figure 2-5, for example, I selected this
command for the Invoices table. This displayed the data for the table in a Result
grid. In addition, it displayed information about the SELECT statement that was
used to retrieve the data in the Output tab.
To insert, edit, and delete the rows in the table, you can use the buttons at
the top of the Result grid. Then, to apply the changes to the table, you can click
the Apply button at the bottom of the Result grid. Or, if you want to cancel the
changes, you can click the Revert button.

Chapter 2

How to use MySQL Workbench and other development tools

The data for the Invoices table displayed in the Result grid
Result grid

Description
To view the data for a table, right-click the table in the Navigator window and
select the Select Rows - Limit 1000 command to display it in a Result grid.
To edit the data for a table, view the data. Then, you can use the buttons at the top
of the Result grid to insert, update, and delete rows.
To apply the changes to the table, click the Apply button at the bottom of the tab.
To cancel the changes, click the Revert button.

Figure 2-5

How to view and edit the data for a table

51

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Section 1

An introduction to MySQL

How to view and edit the column definitions

for a table
If you want to edit a column definition for a table, you can use the technique
described in figure 2-6 to display the column definitions for the table. In this
figure, for example, the column definitions for the Vendors table are displayed.
At this point, you can view information about each column of the table such as
its name and data type.
Once you display the column definitions for a table, you can use the
Columns tab to add a column, delete a column, or modify a column. For
example, you can add a new column by entering it at the bottom of the list. You
can delete a column by right-clicking on it and selecting the Delete command.
You can change the name of a column by selecting the column and then clicking
on the name and editing it. You can change the data type of a column by
selecting the column and then clicking on its data type and selecting another data
type from the drop-down list that appears. And so on.
Most of the time, you wont want to use MySQL Workbench to edit the
column definitions for a table. Instead, youll want to edit the scripts that create
the database so you can easily recreate the database later. In chapter 11, youll
learn more about creating and modifying the column definitions for a table using
both techniques.

Chapter 2

How to use MySQL Workbench and other development tools

The column definitions for the Vendors table

Description
To view the column definitions for a table, right-click the table name in the
Navigator window and select the Alter Table command. Then, select the Columns
tab at the bottom of the window thats displayed to view the column definitions for
the table.
To edit the column definitions for a table, view the column definitions. Then, you
can use the resulting window to add new columns and modify and delete existing
columns.
For more information about creating and modifying tables, see chapter 11.

Figure 2-6

How to view and edit the column definitions

53

54

Section 1

An introduction to MySQL

How to use MySQL Workbench

to run SQL statements
Besides letting you review the design of a database, MySQL Workbench is a
great tool for entering and running SQL statements.

How to enter and execute a SQL statement

When you first connect to a MySQL server in MySQL Workbench, a SQL
Editor tab is automatically opened. Figure 2-7 shows how to use the SQL editor
to enter and execute a SQL statement. The easiest way to open a SQL Editor tab
is to click the Create New SQL Tab button in the SQL Editor toolbar or press the
Ctrl+T keys.
Once you open a SQL tab, you can use standard techniques to enter or edit a
SQL statement. As you enter statements, youll notice that MySQL Workbench
automatically applies colors to various elements. For example, it displays
keywords in green. This makes your statements easier to read and understand
and can help you identify coding errors.
To execute a single SQL statement like the one in this figure, you can press
Ctrl+Enter or click the Execute Current Statement button in the SQL Editor
toolbar. If the statement returns data, that data is displayed below the SQL editor
in a corresponding Result grid. In this figure, for example, the result set returned
by the SELECT statement is displayed. If necessary, you can adjust the height
of the Result grid by dragging the bar that separates the SQL Editor tab from the
Result grid.
Before you execute a SQL statement, make sure youve selected a database
by double-clicking the database in the Navigator window. Otherwise, youll get
an error message like this:
Error Code: 1046. No database selected

Similarly, if you havent selected the correct database, youll get an error
message that says the table doesnt exist. For example, if the EX database is
selected when you attempt to retrieve data from the Vendors table, youll get an
error message like this:
Error Code: 1146. Table 'ex.vendors' doesn't exist

To fix this, you can double-click the AP database to select it.

Chapter 2

How to use MySQL Workbench and other development tools

A SELECT statement and its results

Create New
SQL Tab button

Execute Current
Statement button

SQL
editor

Result
grid

Description
To open a new SQL tab, press Ctrl+T or click the Create New SQL Tab ( ) button
in the SQL Editor toolbar.
To select the current database, double-click it in the Schemas tab of the Navigator
window. This displays the selected database in bold.
To enter a SQL statement, type it into the SQL editor.
As you enter the text for a statement, the SQL editor applies color to various
elements, such as SQL keywords, to make them easy to identify.
To execute a SQL statement, press Ctrl+Enter, or click the Execute Current
Statement button ( ) in the SQL Editor toolbar. If the statement retrieves data, the
data is displayed in a Result grid below the SQL tab.

Figure 2-7

How to enter and execute a SQL statement

55

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Section 1

An introduction to MySQL

How to use snippets

You can think of the snippets that come with MySQL Workbench as a
library of SQL syntax. This library is divided into statements that you can use
to manage a database, define objects in a database, and manipulate the data in
a database. You can also create your own snippets that provide custom code.
In fact, youre more likely to create your own snippets than you are to use
the built-in snippets. Thats because the syntax thats provided for the built-in
snippets is much more complex than what you typically need.
Figure 2-8 shows how to use snippets. To start, if the SQL Additions tab
isnt displayed, you can display it by clicking on the rightmost button at the right
side of the SQL Editor tab. Then, you can use the drop-down list at the top of the
SQL Additions tab to select a category of snippets. In this figure, for example,
the My Snippets category is displayed. From here, you can select a snippet and
then click the Insert Snippet button to enter the snippet into the SQL Editor tab.
Finally, you can edit the snippet code so its appropriate for your SQL statement.
In this figure, the snippet contains code that I wrote for joining the vendors,
invoices, and invoice_line_items tables. To create this snippet, I entered it into
a SQL Editor tab and then clicked the Add New Snippet button. By saving this
statement as a snippet, I can now use it anytime I want to join these three tables
instead of having to type it each time.
For now, dont worry if you dont understand the SQL statement presented
in this figure. The main point is that you can use the Snippets tab to save and
retrieve a variety of SQL code. As you learn more about SQL statements, youll
see how useful this can be.

Chapter 2

How to use MySQL Workbench and other development tools

The SQL Additions tab with a snippet created by a user

Description
The SQL Additions tab contains snippets. Snippets contain the syntax for many
common SQL statements. You can use the snippets to guide you as you create a
SQL statement. You can also create your own snippets and save them for later use.
The SQL Additions tab is displayed to the right of the SQL Editor tab by default. If
this tab isnt displayed, you can display it by clicking the rightmost button ( ) at
the right side of the SQL Editor toolbar.
The snippets are organized into categories. To display any category of snippets,
select the category from the drop-down list at the top of the SQL Additions tab.
To enter a snippet into a SQL editor, select the snippet and then click the Insert
Snippet button at the top of the SQL Additions tab. Then, edit the snippet code so
its appropriate for your SQL statement.
To replace code in the SQL editor with a snippet, select the code, select the snippet
you want to replace it with, and then click the Replace Current Text button.
To create your own snippet, enter the code for the snippet into a SQL editor. Then,
select the category where you want to save the snippet, click the Add New Snippet
button, and enter a name for the snippet.
To delete a snippet, right-click it in the Snippets tab and select the Delete Snippet
item.

Figure 2-8

How to use the Snippets tab

57

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Section 1

An introduction to MySQL

How to handle syntax errors

If an error occurs during the execution of a SQL statement, MySQL
Workbench displays a message that includes the error number and a brief
description of the error. In figure 2-9, for example, the message displays an error
number of 1146 and a brief description that says Table ap.vendor doesnt exist.
In this example, the problem is that the Vendor table doesnt exist in the
database. To fix the problem, you need to edit the SQL statement so the table is
Vendors instead of Vendor. Then, you should be able to successfully run the SQL
statement.
This figure also lists some other common causes of errors. As you can see,
most errors are caused by incorrect syntax. However, its also common to get an
error if you have selected the wrong database. If, for example, you have selected
the EX database and you try to run a statement that refers to tables in the AP
database, you will get an error. Regardless of whats causing the problem, you
can usually identify and correct the problem without much trouble. In some
cases, though, it may be difficult to figure out the cause of an error. Then, you
can usually get more information about the error by searching the Internet or by
searching the MySQL Reference Manual as described later in this chapter.

Chapter 2

How to use MySQL Workbench and other development tools

How to handle syntax errors

Common causes of errors

Having the wrong database selected

Misspelling the name of a table or column
Misspelling a keyword
Omitting the closing quotation mark for a character string

Description
If an error occurs during the execution of a SQL statement, MySQL Workbench
displays a message in the Output tab that includes an error code and a brief description of the error.
Most errors are caused by incorrect syntax and can be corrected without any
additional assistance. Otherwise, you can usually get more information about
an error by searching for the error code or description in the MySQL Reference
Manual or on the Internet.

Figure 2-9

How to handle syntax errors

59

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Section 1

An introduction to MySQL

How to open and save SQL scripts

In MySQL, a script is a file that contains one or more SQL statements. To
create a script, you enter the statements you want it to include into a SQL Editor
tab. Youll learn more about that in the next figure. Then, you can click the Save
button or press Ctrl+S to save the script as described in figure 2-10.
Once youve saved a script, you can open it later. To do that, you can click
the Open SQL Script File button in the SQL Editor toolbar, or you can press
Ctrl+Shift+O. In this figure, the dialog box thats displayed shows the script files
that have been saved for chapter 2. These files are created when you download
and install the source code for this book. Note that the names of these files have
the .sql extension.
Once you open a script, you can run it as shown in the next figure. You can
also use it as the basis for a new SQL script. To do that, just modify it any way
you want. Then, you can save it as a new script by pressing the Ctrl+Shift+S
keys or selecting the FileSave Script As command.
The screen in this figure shows the tabs for two script files that have been
opened. After you open two or more scripts, you can switch between them by
clicking on the appropriate tab. Then, you can cut, copy, and paste code from
one script to another.

Chapter 2

How to use MySQL Workbench and other development tools

The Open SQL Script dialog box

Open SQL Script
File button

Description
A SQL script is a file that contains one or more SQL statements.
To open a file that contains a SQL script, click the Open SQL Script File button in
the SQL Editor toolbar or press the Ctrl+Shift+O keys. Then, use the Open SQL
Script dialog box to locate and open the SQL script.
When you open a SQL script, MySQL Workbench displays it in its own SQL
Editor tab. To switch between open scripts, select the appropriate tab.
To cut, copy, and paste code from one SQL script to another, use the standard
techniques.
To save a SQL statement to a script file, click the Save button in the SQL Editor
toolbar or press Ctrl+S. Then, use the Save SQL Script dialog box to specify a
location and name for the file.
To save a script youve modified to a new file, press the Ctrl+Shift+S keys or select
the FileSave Script As command.

Figure 2-10

How to open and save SQL scripts

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Section 1

An introduction to MySQL

How to enter and execute SQL scripts

In the last topic, you saw a SQL script that contained a single SQL statement. However, a SQL script typically contains multiple statements. Figure 2-11
shows how to enter and execute scripts like that.
When you code multiple SQL statements within a script, you must code a
semicolon at the end of each statement. For example, this figure shows a script
that contains two SELECT statements. To execute both of these statements, you
can press the Ctrl+Shift+Enter keys, or you can click the Execute SQL Script
button in the SQL Editor toolbar. When you do, the results of each script are
displayed in a separate Result grid. To switch between Result grids, you can
click on the tabs that are displayed below the current Result grid.
If you want to execute a single SQL statement thats stored within a script,
you can do that by moving the insertion point into the statement and pressing the
Ctrl+Enter keys or clicking the Execute Current Statement button. Then, if the
statement retrieves data, the data is displayed in a single Result grid.
If you need to, you can also execute two or more statements in a script. To
do that, you select the statements and then press the Ctrl+Shift+Enter keys or
click the Execute SQL Script button. This is useful if a script contains many
statements and you just want to execute some of them.

Chapter 2

How to use MySQL Workbench and other development tools

A SQL script and its results

Execute SQL
Script button

Description
When you code a script that contains more than one statement, you must code a
semicolon at the end of each statement.
To run an entire SQL script, press the Ctrl+Shift+Enter keys or click the Execute
SQL Script button ( ) thats located just to the left of the Execute Current
Statement button in the SQL Editor toolbar.
When you run a SQL script, the results of each statement that returns data are
displayed in a separate Result grid. To switch between these Result grids, you can
click on the tabs that are displayed below the current Result grid.
To execute one SQL statement within a script, move the insertion point into that
statement and press the Ctrl+Enter keys or click the Execute Current Statement
button ( ). If the statement retrieves data, the data is displayed in a Result grid.
To execute two or more statements within a script, select them in the editor and
then press the Ctrl+Shift+Enter keys or click the Execute SQL Script button.

Figure 2-11

How to enter and execute SQL scripts

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Section 1

An introduction to MySQL

How to use the MySQL Reference

Manual
Figure212 shows how to use another useful tool for working with the
MySQL database: the MySQL Reference Manual. In most cases, youll use
a web browser to view this manual directly from the Internet. That way, you
can be sure that the information is always up-to-date. However, you can also
download this manual and save it on your hard drive. Either way, you can use
the MySQL Reference Manual to quickly look up detailed technical information
about the MySQL database, including information about SQL statements and
functions.

How to view the manual

You can view the MySQL Reference Manual by using a web browser to go
to the web address shown at the top of this figure. Here, the Reference Manual
for version 5.6 of MySQL is displayed. However, you can easily select another
version by clicking on the links in the left column of the page.

How to look up information

Once youve navigated to the correct version of the MySQL Reference
Manual, its easy to look up information. To do that, you can use the links in the
right column to drill down to the information that youre looking for. When you
find the topic you want, you can click it to display it in the middle column. Then,
if you want to navigate back up the hierarchy of information, you can use the
breadcrumb links across the top of the page. In this figure, for example, you can
click the MySQL 5.6 Reference Manual link to return to the Home page for
the manual. Or, you can click the General Information link to navigate to that
page.
Another easy way to look up information is to search for a specific word
or phrase. To do that, type the word or phrase in the Search manual text box
located at the left side of the page and click the Go button. Then, you can click
the links in the search results to view information about the search terms.

Chapter 2

How to use MySQL Workbench and other development tools

The web address for the MySQL 5.6 Reference Manual

http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.6/en/

A web page from the MySQL Reference Manual

Description
To view the MySQL Reference Manual, go to the MySQL website and select the
correct version of the manual.
To view a chapter, click the link for the chapter in the table of contents on the right
side of the page.
To return to the Home page for the manual, click the link for the manual thats
displayed across the top of the current page.
To search for a particular word or phrase, type the word or phrase in the Search
manual text box on the left side of the page and click the Go button. Then, you can
scroll through the results and click links to get more information.
You can also download the MySQL Reference Manual in several different formats.
However, it typically makes sense to use it online.

Figure 2-12

How to use the MySQL Reference Manual

65

66

Section 1

An introduction to MySQL

How to use the MySQL Command Line

Client
Before MySQL Workbench was available, programmers used a
command-line tool known as the MySQL Command Line Client to connect
to a MySQL server and work with it. This tool is also known as the MySQL
command line. Although you may never need this tool, you should at least
be aware that it exists. This tool comes with MySQL, and it can be useful if
MySQL Workbench isnt installed on the system that youre using.

How to start and stop the MySQL Command Line

Client
Figure 2-13 shows how to start and stop the MySQL Command Line
Client in Windows. Although this figure shows the Command Prompt window
thats available from Windows, you can use the MySQL Command Line Client
on other operating systems too. In particular, on Mac OS X, you can use the
Terminal window to start the MySQL Command Line Client.
When you use Windows, theres an easy way to start the MySQL Command
Line Client if you want to log in as the root user for the database server thats
running on the local computer. To do that, you just select the MySQL Command
Line Client command from the Start menu. Then, MySQL will prompt you for
a password. If you enter the password correctly, you will be logged on to the
database server as the root user.
In some cases, youll need to use a command line to start the MySQL
Command Line Client instead of using the Start menu. For example, you may
need to do that if you want to log into a database thats running on a different
computer, if you want to log in as a user other than the root user, or if youre
using another operating system such as Mac OS X. In those cases, you can open
a command line and change the directory to the bin directory for the MySQL
installation. Then, you can execute the mysql command and supply the parameters that are needed to connect to the database server.
If the MySQL server is located on a remote computer, you can specify
-h, followed by the host name of the computer, and -u, followed by a valid
username. In addition, you specify -p so MySQL prompts you for a valid
password. Although it can take some experimentation to get these connection
parameters right, you only need to figure this out once.
Once you enter a valid password for the specified username, the MySQL
Command Line Client displays a welcome message and a command line that
looks like this:
mysql>

From this prompt, you can enter any statement that works with MySQL. When
youre done, you can exit the MySQL Command Line Client by entering exit
or quit followed by a semicolon.

Chapter 2

How to use MySQL Workbench and other development tools

The MySQL Command Line Client displayed by Windows

How to start the MySQL Command Line Client (Windows only)

StartAll ProgramsMySQLMySQL Server 5.6MySQL 5.6 Command Line Client

How to start the MySQL Command Line Client from the command line
For Windows
cd \Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.6\bin
mysql u root -p

For Mac OSX

cd /usr/local/mysql/bin
./mysql u root -p

How the mysql command works

The syntax
mysql h hostname u username p

Examples
mysql u ap_tester -p
mysql h localhost u root p
mysql h murach.com u ap_tester p

How to exit from the MySQL Command Line Client

mysql>exit;

Description
MySQL provides a command-line client program called the MySQL Command
Line Client that lets you enter SQL statements that work with MySQL databases.
This program is also known as the MySQL command line.
For Windows, use a Command Prompt window to start the MySQL Command Line
Client.
For Mac OSX, use a Terminal window to start the MySQL Command Line Client.
To stop the MySQL Command Line Client, enter exit or quit at the command
line, followed by a semicolon.
Figure 2-13

How to start and stop the MySQL Command Line Client

67

68

Section 1

An introduction to MySQL

How to use the MySQL Command Line Client

to work with a database
Once the MySQL Command Line Client is connected to a database server,
you can use it to run SQL statements that work with the databases that are
available from that server. When you enter a statement, you must end it with a
semicolon. Otherwise, the mysql command line displays a second line when you
press the Enter key like this:
mysql> show databases
->

This shows that the MySQL Command Line Client is waiting for you to finish
your statement. To finish a statement and execute it, you just type a semicolon
and press the Enter key.
Figure 2-14 shows how to execute three SQL statements. Here, I entered all
three of these statements in lowercase letters. Thats because SQL isnt casesensitive, and lowercase letters are easier to type.
To list the names of the databases stored on a server, you use the SHOW
DATABASES statement as illustrated by the first example. Here, the ap, ex,
and om databases are the databases that are created when you install our
downloadable databases as described in appendixes A and B. The
information_schema, performance_schema, and mysql databases are
internal databases that are used by the MySQL server. And the test database is
a test database that comes with MySQL.
To select the database that you want to work with, you can enter a USE
statement as illustrated by the second example. Here, the AP database is
selected, and the message after this statement says Database changed to
indicate that the statement was successful. After you select a database, the
commands and statements that you enter will work with that database.
To retrieve data from the database, you use a SELECT statement as illustrated in the third example. Here, the vendor_name column from the Vendors
table is displayed. Note, however that the result set is limited to only the first
five rows. When you successfully execute a SELECT statement, the MySQL
Command Line Client displays a message giving the number of rows that are
included in the result set and the amount of time it took to run the query.

Chapter 2

How to use MySQL Workbench and other development tools

How to list the names of all databases managed by the server

mysql> show databases;
+--------------------+
| Database
|
+--------------------+
| information_schema |
| ap
|
| ex
|
| mysql
|
| om
|
| performance_schema |
| test
|
+--------------------+
7 rows in set (0.05 sec)

How to select a database for use

mysql> use ap;
Database changed

How to select data from a database

mysql> select vendor_name from vendors limit 5;
+------------------------------+
| vendor_name
|
+------------------------------+
| Abbey Office Furnishings
|
| American Booksellers Assoc
|
| American Express
|
| ASC Signs
|
| Ascom Hasler Mailing Systems |
+------------------------------+
5 rows in set (0.09 sec)

Description
You can use the MySQL Command Line Client to work with any of the databases
running on the database server. To do that, you can use any SQL statement that
works with a MySQL database.
To execute a SQL statement, type the statement on the command line, followed by
a semicolon. Then, press the Enter key.
To show a list of all available databases, you can use the SHOW DATABASES
statement.
To select the database that you want to work with, you can use the USE statement.
SQL statements arent case-sensitive. As a result, when using the MySQL
Command Line Client, most programmers enter their statements in lowercase
letters because theyre easier to type.

Figure 2-14

How to use the MySQL Command Line Client to work with a database

69

70

Section 1

An introduction to MySQL

Perspective
In this chapter, you learned how to use MySQL Workbench to start and
stop a MySQL server and to enter and execute SQL statements. With that
as background, youre ready to go on to the next chapter, where youll start
learning the details of coding your own SQL statements.

Terms
MySQL Workbench
database server
database service
database engine
database object
schema
snippet
SQL script
MySQL Reference manual
MySQL Command Line Client

Before you start the exercises

Before you start the exercises for this chapter, you need to install the MySQL
Server and MySQL Workbench. In addition, you need to download and install
the source files for this book, and you need to create the databases and tables for
this book. The procedures for doing all of these tasks are provided in appendix
A (Windows) and B (Mac OS X).

Exercises
In these exercises, youll use MySQL Workbench to review the tables in the AP
database. In addition, youll use MySQL Workbench to enter SQL statements
and run them against these tables.

Make sure the MySQL server is running

1. Start MySQL Workbench and open a connection for the root user.
2. Check whether the MySQL server is running. If it isnt, start it. When youre
done, close the Startup/Shutdown window.

Use MySQL Workbench to review the Accounts Payable (AP)

database
3. In the Navigator window, expand the node for the AP database so you can see
all of the database objects it contains.
4. View the data for the Vendors and Invoices tables.

Chapter 2

How to use MySQL Workbench and other development tools

5. Navigate through the database objects and view the column definitions for at
least the Vendors and Invoices tables.

Use MySQL Workbench to enter and run SQL statements

6. Double-click the AP database to select it. When you do that, MySQL
Workbench should display the database in bold.
7. Open a SQL Editor tab. Then, enter and run this SQL statement:
SELECT vendor_name FROM vendors

8. Delete the e at the end of vendor_name and run the statement again. Note the
error number and the description of the error.
9. Open another SQL Editor tab. Then, enter and run this statement:
SELECT COUNT(*) AS number_of_invoices,
SUM(invoice_total) AS grand_invoice_total
FROM invoices

Use MySQL Workbench to open and run scripts

10. Open the select_vendor_city_state script thats in the
c:\murach\mysql\scripts\ch02 directory. Note that this script contains just one
SQL statement. Then, run the statement.
11. Open the select_vendor_total_due script thats in the ch02 directory. Note that
this opens another SQL Editor tab.
12. Open the select_vendor_information script thats in the ch02 directory. Notice
that this script contains two SQL statements that end with semicolons (scroll
down if you need to).
13. Press the Ctrl+Shift+Enter keys or click the Execute SQL Script button to run
both of the statements in this script. Note that this displays the results in two
Result grids. Make sure to view the results of both SELECT statements.
14. Move the insertion point into the first statement and press Ctrl+Enter to run
just that statement.
15. Move the insertion point into the second statement and press Ctrl+Enter to run
just that statement.
16. Exit from MySQL Workbench.

71

How to build your MySQL skills

The easiest way is to let Murachs MySQL (2nd Edition) be
your guide! So if youve enjoyed this chapter, I hope youll get
your own copy of the book today. You can use it to:
Teach yourself how to code SQL statements to retrieve
and maintain the data in a MySQL database
Design and create your own MySQL databases using EER
diagrams and SQL statements
Take advantage of procedural coding routines that are
stored with a MySQL database to maintain data integrity
and increase your own productivity

Mike Murach, Publisher

Handle basic DBA tasks like monitoring, configuring, securing, and backing up a
database
Pick up new skills whenever you want to or need to by focusing on material thats
new to you
Look up coding details or refresh your memory on forgotten details when youre in
the middle of developing a MySQL application
Loan to your colleagues who are always asking you questions about MySQL
programming
To get your copy, you can order online at www.murach.com or call us at
1-800-221-5528 (toll-free in the U.S. and Canada). And remember, when you order
directly from us, this book comes with my personal guarantee:

100% Guarantee
You must be satisfied. Each book you buy directly
from us must outperform any competing book or
course youve ever tried, or send it back within 60
days for a full refundno questions asked.
Thanks for your interest in Murach books!